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There’s every chance that on your Majorca family holidays, you will have your hands full with excitable children chomping at the bit to have as many adventures as possible. They’ll be raring to go, whether it’s straight down to the beach or into the wild. So, to help you to cope with their energy, why not take them to what Santiago Rusinol named ‘The Port of Calm’ – the beautiful coastal town of Porto Soller.

Taking Them to Dizzy New Heights

Known as the gateway to the Tramuntana Mountains, Soller is surrounded by landscapes that are perfect for wearing out the kids and making sure they get a good night’s sleep. This rugged mountain range provides some spectacular scenery for the adults, as well as some incredible excursions for the younger family members, making it the perfect place to head to on Majorca family holidays. Whether you want to traverse some of the Tramuntana paths on foot, or hire a bike and try it on two wheels, there are plenty of mountain trails that are not too challenging or remote. However far you decide to go up the mountain, you’ll be rewarded with phenomenal views of the coastline, and wide open spaces where the kids can let loose and stretch their legs. So get them out into the sunshine, and a trip into the Tramuntana Mountains will guarantee you a nice quiet evening as they’ll have worn themselves out with all that exploring.

Take to the Water

With the town of Puerto Soller sitting on some of Majorca’s most amazing coastline, it is unsurprising that there is a wealth of water activity just waiting for you. If the sun is shining, start out from the beautiful beach of Playa d’en Repic, and you will be able to hire kayaks to take you out exploring the sea for the day. Double or single kayaks can be hired, allowing the kids a little more independence should they desire it, whilst allowing the parents to take a boat trip together. Most kayaking trips aim for the island of s’Illeta – a small island found about 4 kilometres from Playa d’en Repic. En route to s’Illeta you will pass some fascinating rock formations and caves, giving you the chance to get a geography lesson into your Majorca family holidays. You might even catch a glimpse of a dolphin or two along the way. On reaching the island, the adults will be awestruck by the enormous colony of cormorants that has made its home there, whilst children can be kept easily entertained by paddling into the Vell Mari – an unusually large cave over 500 yards deep. But if you’re going to be out on the water all day, be sure to take plenty of sun cream with you.

Take a Ride on the Railway

After all that activity, both you and the children might just want to slow down the pace of your Majorca family holidays a little. If this is the case, sit back and relax as you take a ride on the infamous Soller railway train. The traditional wooden train dates back to 1912 and connects the sleepy town of Soller with the larger resort of Palma Mallorca. The journey will take you through rolling hills and beautiful countryside, and on a sunny, clear day you will be able to see for miles, before arriving in Palma Mallorca where you can spend the afternoon shopping and seeing the sights.

Taking Majorca family holidays can result in a great deal of excitement and use a great deal of energy. Sunny Soller is the ideal location to expend this energy in a peaceful and quiet resort. Away from the hustle and bustle of busier resorts, Porto Soller is surrounded by beautiful countryside and beach where you can explore, but also relax.

Davide Smith is the Destination Expert for Bargain Holidays Online, a unique holiday website which specialises in cheap, last-minute deals for Majorca family holidays as well as giving you access to over 20 million other bargain holiday deals. Book your bargain holidays with BargainHolidaysOnline.com today and save.

When planning family holidays, Turkey instantly springs to mind as a contender. There is so much to see and do and whether you choose to holiday in the exotic capital Istanbul, or opt for a more relaxing stay in a coastal resort, family holidays to Turkey will never disappoint. One of the best things about Turkey is its accessibility and no matter where you stay, even those with young families will find it easy to explore the neighbouring areas. Olu Deniz is one of the most popular family resorts in the Aegean and an ideal place to base yourself; and if you do find yourself there on your family holidays, Turkey has another little secret up her sleeve – Fethiye.

Fethiye is only a short distance from the more popular resorts along the Turkish coast, but some people prefer its more relaxed atmosphere for their family holidays. Turkey is renowned for its hospitality and the warm welcome it extends to visitors, and nowhere is this more evident than Fethiye. Whilst retaining an authentic and traditional feel, there is still enough to do to keep the entire family entertained. Whether your family is into sun-worshipping and sailing, or history and horse-riding, Fethiye can take care of everyone.

Along the Waterfront

You may choose to spend your entire family holiday on the beach and in Fethiye, the temptation to do just that is extremely great! Although sunbathing and swimming will be high on the agenda of family holidays, Turkey offers more than just a dip in the sea and a paddle in the shallows. Around Fethyie you will discover not only some of the most stunning beaches on the Turkish Coast, you will also find some of the most enjoyable ways to maximise your fun in the sun. Diving, snorkelling, kayaking and paragliding are just some of the activities on offer and, coupled with the wide sandy beaches and warm inviting waters, are an irresistible option.

Of course, if parents want to escape for a little ‘me time’ on their family holidays in Turkey, they can always leave the kids to their own devices and take a relaxing stroll around the harbour in Fethiye. With a charming backdrop of bobbing yachts against the glittering azure ocean, you can while away an afternoon or an evening in a tiny restaurant and watch the locals go about their business.

Delve into History

In its day, Fethiye was one of the most significant towns on the Lycian Way. Formerly namedTelmessos, it was the centre of prophecy and a bustling centre of culture. Wherever you base yourself for your family holidays, Turkey will astound you with a diverse and rich tapestry of history and Fethiye is no exception. The entire family can enjoy excursions to visit the many fascinating relics dotted around the town. A history lesson can take on a whole new meaning when you get to experience the actual site of such important events, and you will have no trouble getting the children to come along. Of particular interest in Fethiye is the amazing rock tomb of Amyntas with its impressive facade cut into the hillside behind the town; as well as many other smaller sarcophagi in the unique Lycian style which date back to the 4th Century.

Davide Smith is the Destination Expert for Bargain Holidays Online, a unique holiday website which specialises in cheap, last-minute deals for family holidays Turkey as well as giving you access to over 20 million other bargain holiday deals. Book your bargain holidays with BargainHolidaysOnline.com today and save.

Learning how to compose your photographs can mean the difference between a so-so snapshot and a high quality picture. This article will give you useful composition tips for taking great digital pictures.

Filling the Frame & Clearing Clutter

Although there are exceptions to this rule, usually filling the frame is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your composition.

Most people make the mistake of trying to include too much in their picture and end up with a boring photo where nothing really stands out.

For example, if you are taking a picture of your child playing on a swing, you should fill the frame of you child on the swing and leave out the swingset and other background clutter like Uncle Ed tending to the barbeque.

If you don’t fill the frame with just your child, you will lose them in the background and won’t be able to capture their excited expression from swinging high in the air. You can always go back and take a close up of Uncle Ed flipping the burgers.

A nice thing about digital cameras is that after you take the picture you can check for clutter in playback mode. By checking the picture right away, you often can retake the picture and make it better by getting everyone smiling or removing clutter from the background like a lamp post or tree branch.

Sometimes leaving lots of empty space in the photo also works well. You might take a picture of something that fills two thirds of the photo for effect. Make sure to get close enough to your subject so they fill up at least a third of the viewfinder or frame. So now it’s time to talk about one of the most important tips for taking digital photographs.

Rule of Thirds

Most pictures have the subject directly centered in the picture with a lot of empty space (or clutter) around them. This happens because most people use digital compacts in autofocus mode and these cameras usually have a center-weighted focus.

Professionally taken photographs rarely have the subject in the center because they use manual focus (we’ll look at a trick that digital compact users can sometimes use). If you have a DSLR you can also use this easy focusing trick.

The “Rule of Thirds” is one of the most popular techniques. With this technique, the photographer has to visualize six evenly spaced lines breaking the viewfinder into nine even boxes. Some cameras have a feature that lets you opt to have this tic tac toe grid, superimposed over your image in preview mode.

By using the grid in preview mode (or visualizing a grid), you can compose a picture where the subject is on one of the lines or intersections instead of the middle of your picture. And don’t worry about lining up your subject exactly to the grid lines as it is only intended as a guide. With a little practice, using the rule of thirds will become second nature.

Keeping Focused

So, it’s time to talk about how to get your subject in focus without placing them directly in the center of your picture. This technique works great for subjects that are not moving, like people sitting down or a picture of a statue or tree. Here is how you do it:

1. Move your subject in the middle of the frame where your viewfinder’s focus point is in the center and press the shutter release button half way down.

2. Wait for the green light to glow so you know the focus is locked.

3. Keeping your finger pressed on the shutter release button so it stays pressed half way down, move the camera until you have the composition you want.

4. Now, hold the camera steady and press the shutter the rest of the way down.

5. Always wait for the green light because that is the camera’s signal that it has taken the picture.

More Composition Tips for Taking Digital Pictures (Or Film)

Focus on something specific on your subject. For example, with people and animals, this is usually the eyes because they are so expressive.

To make photos pop, develop a photographer’s eye for contrast. Contrast in a picture is good when the brights are bright and the dark colors are dark.

Too add interest to a set of photos of a given subject, take photos from different angles. Get a different perspective by getting up high or lying down on the ground. It is best to vary the angle in which you take your pictures so you can show different perspectives and views.

By using these tips, you’ll be able to compose great pictures and display them on your wall for all to enjoy.

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our huge selection of picture frames like our fun scrapbook page frames and deep shadowbox wood frames. Visit our website and have fun frame shopping or call 1-800-780-0699.

People and pets are the trickiest subjects to photograph yet these pictures often get the most attention. No matter what your skill level, you can always learn something new that can improve your photography when it comes to taking photos of pets and people. This article will give you some valuable tips that you can immediately start using to take better photos of the people and pets you care about most!

Taking Better People Pictures

The best pictures of people always reflect their personality and character. While a picture make capture the person in the moment, sometimes the picture doesn’t accurately reflect the person’s usual expressions or appearance. The solution to this problem is simple: After setting up your photo shoot, spend a little time chatting with the subject, camera ready. When you see that perfect expression start snapping pictures.

A few technical tips:

* Keep in mind that Portrait mode tends to distort, making the subject look wider or younger. Depending on the age of the subject, the latter might be appreciated, but normally you would avoid this distortion by zooming. Stand close enough so the subject fills the camera’s viewfinder and then take one step backwards, zoom again to fill the frame and shoot your picture.

* Whenever possible, always use natural light. If using indoor lighting, try to use lamps with full spectrum light bulbs. Try to avoid low ceiling light as this creates bad shadows.

* Shoot in high resolution so that you can make nice, large prints of the best, then display them in picture frames to hang on your walls and give as gifts.

How to Take Great Pet Pictures

The first thing you need to do anytime you’re taking pet photos is to set your camera to a high shutter speed or use “sports” mode!

If your camera has a “Burst” mode this can help because it lets you shoot a lot of pictures rapidly so you’ll be more likely to get a good shot.

Sometimes instead of using the higher shutter speed to freeze the action, you might want to blur it to emphasize a crazy movement, like your dog chasing its tail. In this case, use Portrait mode for a slower shutter speed.

With animals especially, natural light is always best because flashes can upset pets plus, your pictures will come out better with outdoor lighting. If you must use flash, protect your pets’ eyes from injury by referring to your camera’s safe distance recommendations (usually four or more feet).

Depending upon the color of your pet’s fur coat, you’ll want to use different lighting for best results. For a light colored coat, you want a bright overcast sky and for a dark brown or black coat, you want to have direct sunlight to bring out the rich colors. If photographing outdoors, you want to use the same times of day you would with people, so take pictures when the sun is low in the sky.

If you want to get really good candid photos of your pet, take time to follow your pet around with your camera and be patient until you get a picture you really like. Using zoom will allow you to get good shots without being so close your pet is more interested in the camera then just being itself giving. So if possible, always keep your distance and use an optical zoom for best results.

Finally as with people, focus on the eyes. Try to get “eye level” with your pet which often means getting on the floor to capture that perfect photo.

By using these tips for how to take better people and pet pictures you’ll have what you need to capture some fantastic photos. Have fun shooting and don’t forget to frame your favorite photos!

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames and loves taking pictures. Shop online and see our large selection of picture frame sizes like our 4 x 6′s and 5 x 7′s. Check out these frames and many others on our website or call 1-800-780-0699.

When it comes to taking great action photos, one of the most important digital photography basics is understanding shutter lag.

Also called “processor lag” this is the time that it takes between the time you press the shutter release and the time the camera actually takes the shot. Press the shutter too early and you’ll end up with a picture that’s completely different than what you were expecting.

Despite all of their advantages, compact digital cameras are slower than traditional film cameras. This article provides some tips for dealing with this lag, as well as tips for how to take more exciting and memorable action pictures.

1) Be Ready to Shoot – While you can’t know if your child is going to make that soccer goal, try to anticipate when things are most apt to happen. Even professional sports photographers with speed-of-lightning cameras try to anticipate the action, just so they can be in the right spot and point the camera in the right direction.

By having a better understanding of what you’re photographing, you’ll be better able to anticipate the actions and get better shots. So, if you plan to take pictures of your child’s soccer match, learn the rules of the game so you’ll know what to expect. If your child’s performing in the Nutcracker, watch a rehearsal or two.

2) Shop Around before purchasing a new compact digital. Unfortunately, there isn’t just one camera spec that will tell you how fast the camera will capture the picture from the time you press the button. Others things like the quality of the sensor and the ISO setting (if in dim light) can also slow down the processing time. So investigate what other people are saying in photography forums and read all of the manufacturer’s specs online.

3) Spring for a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens-Reflex). They’re more expensive than compacts, but they’re FAST. DSLRs don’t have shutter lag problems, so if you’re taking photos outside, you can increase the ISO without your photos having digital noise like you would with a compact camera.

Digital Photography Basics to Use with any Type of Camera

Whether you have a compact, DSLR, point-and-shoot film camera or camera phone, try these professional tricks.

Zoom in on Faces – Don’t always focus on the action. Capture those expressions of determination, triumph and even defeat (especially if it’s an opponent!).

Tell a Story – Look for shots that tell a story of the event. For example, begin with a shot of the team’s huddle or your fellow paddlers launching their rafts.

Freeze! – To freeze the action, set your camera to sports mode or set your Shutter Speed Priority to a high setting. As an example of different settings, freezing action in a soccer tournament requires a shutter speed between 1/250 to 1/500 while taking photos of your pet sitting still requires 1/125.

Blur the Background – Take a cue from the sports photographers, and blur the background by decreasing the camera’s depth of field. If you’re using a camera with Aperture Priority, you can do this simply by decreasing the F Stop number. The lower the F Stop number, the more blurry your background.

Pan – This is a good alternative for digital compact users where dim light underexposes photos taken with sports mode/fast shutter speed. Panning works with automatic focus, but it only works when the action is moving in a fairly straight line. Here is how to pan the camera:

Set your Camera to Auto focus. With feet planted firmly on the ground, move the upper half of your body while following the subject with your camera. Just before you think the action will occur, start pressing the shutter release button half way down and continue following the subject until you’ve pressed the button completely down to get the shot.

Is the auto focus on your camera too slow? Focus on an area of contrast, such as the number on a uniform. Auto focus works faster with contrast.

Play around with panning and see what kinds of different effects you can get. You might want to show some blur in the action to emphasize the speed of movement, such as with a race car.

Whether you are shooting a sporting event or taking photos of your dog playing frisbee, action photos are really a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. And once you understand the digital photography basics like shutter lag, you’ll take better pictures and have even more fun.

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Your Picture Frames offers a large selection of quality picture frames like our panorama’s and fun and decorative pewter frames. Visit our website with 1000′s of frames or call 1-800-780-0699.

If you want to learn the basics of digital photography, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re using a digital compact or a DSLR with the exception of these few important differences.

Digital Compacts

One of the biggest advantages to digital compacts is the cost. Another thing to consider when buying a DSLR is that you will need to purchase at least one lens for your camera especially if you want to take distant photographs. Digital compacts always come with a built in lens and sometimes even come with a zoom.

If you have an optical zoom on your digital compact, you can get some good quality telephoto shots too. An Optical zoom is always better than digital zoom because a digital zoom works like cropping and takes away pixels. The more you zoom with a digital zoom the lower the image quality. Unlike regular zooms, an optical zoom maintains the quality of your picture.

Some compacts will take such high quality images that many a pro will use one when they don’t want to carry all of their DSLR gear. The quality of the photograph is largely dependent upon the photographer’s skill.

While digital compacts don’t have as many megapixels as DSLRs, with only 5 megapixels, you can produce an 8×10 print of the type of quality you’d be proud to frame and hang on your wall.

Finally, learning the digital photography basics of a compact is far easier then learning how to use a DSLR to its full advantage.

Digital Single Lens Reflexes (DSLRs)

A Digital SLR is the digital version of a single lens reflex camera or SLR. You can call a DSLR a single lens reflex camera but you can’t call an SLR a digital camera. With the release of cameras like the Canon Rebel and other moderately priced DSLRs, more photography enthusiasts are enjoying the benefits of using a DSLR.

The big advantage of the DSLR is its creativity and versatility.

For example, by adding a long telephoto lenses, you can capture a close up of an osprey at the top of a towering pine tree or a child at the soccer goal post when you’re at the other end of the field. With a DSLR, you can find all kinds of accessories to suit almost any photographer’s need.

Another advantage to the DSLR is its ability to take crisp, focused sports and other action shots in places with low light where flash isn’t allowed. The larger sensor on a DSLR allows you to do this; whereas with a compact, if you set the ISO high enough to take the shot in the dim light, it would have digital noise (sort of a multi colored grain). If you’re taking still shots, it’s not an issue. The problem with Sports Mode in a low light setting is that the shutter must close quickly so there is just not enough light to hit the image sensor even with a large aperture setting. The only way this can be compensated for is with a flash or a higher ISO setting.

However, you can get rid of most digital noise by using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop.

Another advantage of using a DSLR is that you can use an external flash instead of always having to use natural light.

DSLRs have more megapixels than the best of the digital compacts, meaning you can take and print in high quality really big pictures, like posters and large prints for framing. And lastly, digital cameras are slower to take pictures than film cameras but DSLRs are much faster than digital compacts.

Although the digital photography basics do start with selecting a camera, the quality of your images will largely depend upon how you use your camera. So no matter what type of camera you have or will be buying, it pays to practice.

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames and loves taking pictures. Shop online and see our large selection of picture frames in colors like white and blue. Visit our easy to navigate website or call us at 1-800-780-0699.

The most challenging subject in the world of bird photography is the hummingbird. This jeweled bundle of energy has the ability to zoom around at record breaking speeds causing frustration for many a photographer. This article is written to help give you some tips so you can take better hummingbird pictures.

Set out the Hummingbird Welcome Mat

Most places in North America have hummingbirds either seasonally or year round. Just ask your local Audubon Society on when you should put out your hummingbird feeders. You can also find out from them if the hummingbirds in your area need to migrate, and if so, when you should take your feeders down so they don’t get stranded in the cold.

Every serious hummingbird photographer needs a hummingbird feeder. When looking for a feeder, make sure you have one that is easy to clean and that it is easy to fill with sugar water.

Most birders suggest using 4 parts water to 1 part sugar or you can also try using a 3:1 mixture as well. Keep the feeders filled so that the hummingbirds don’t head to a more reliable nectar station. However you should take them down periodically to clean but put them right back up. Also never use food coloring because it can cause dangerous growth on the hummingbirds beaks and it’s not needed to attract them.

Hummingbird Feeders, Perches and Flowers

The biggest challenge with taking hummingbird pictures is that they rarely hold still. Hummingbirds are constantly zooming and darting so it makes it difficult to photograph them. Many photographers make the mistake of trying to follow them with their camera in hand. However, don’t do that as it is best staying in one position and being patient.

You want to think about the kind of bird pictures you want and then set things up to help increase your chances of getting the shot. After you’re all set up, all you have to do is have your camera ready and get comfortable. Many photographers use a stabilizer device like a tripod or monopod so the camera is always ready for the next shot. Some photographers use blinds so they can move without worrying about scaring off a hummingbird.

If you want photographs of hummingbirds hovering, remove the perches from your feeders. And if you plug all the holes but one it will be easier to get a pictures of one hummingbird at a time. You will still have hummingbirds zipping around trying to chase off the other birds from the feeder regardless of what you do.

Now if you want to take pictures of hummingbirds perching, watch where the dominant male goes after he fills up at the feeder. Usually, hummingbirds will perch where they have a good view of the feeder. If the perch isn’t in a good position for you to take pictures, you’ll need to do some rearranging. Move the feeder closer to a perch that works for you.

You can also move it farther from the natural perches and add a new perch that is in a photo friendly location. The hummingbird won’t mind as long as he or she can keep an eye out for intruders. Eventually the hummingbirds will get used to you and your camera, but movement will likely frighten them off so make sure you’re in a quiet area with very little activity.

If you have a particular flower that would make a lovely picture with the hummingbird but they are never there long enough for you to press the shutter release, try this photographer’s trick: Using an eye dropper, gently fill the flower with some sugar water. This only works for a short time because the flower will begin to wilt after just a few hours.

As with feeders and perches, you can also hang a basket of flowers to help attract them for photographing. However no matter if you use a flower or feeder, you’ll still only have about 8 seconds tops to take your pictures. Always be patient and don’t press the shutter release until the hummingbird has a had a sip of nectar or sugar water. Otherwise if the flash frightens them off, they won’t have as much incentive to venture back.

Check Your Background

The best background for hummingbird photography is something dark green that doesn’t have any distractions in it like brown twigs or branches. If you want a mobile background try a dark green potted plant or a painted poster board. The main thing is to have a dark background that makes the hummingbird’s colors pop.

If you look for hummingbird pictures in google images you’ll get a good idea of what backgrounds work and what doesn’t. Note how brilliantly colored hummingbirds fade into some backgrounds, like the bright green, sun lit trees and shrubs. A shaded area behind the feeder or perch also works well as a good background.

You can use photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop Elements, to blur the background and make the hummingbird stand out from the background.

You can also find tutorials on this on websites like Adobe.

Lights, Camera, Action

Once you have your hummingbird feeding station set up, now you just need to find a comfy place to sit with your camera and tripod. In order to freeze their beating wings, you will need a high speed flash but you can still get some great pictures with a good compact camera by using these tips.

Remember, hummingbirds may be the most challenging subject in bird photography, but with some patience you will soon have a nice collection of hummingbird photography to frame and display in your home.

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. If you’re looking for a unique one of a kind gift or a gift that will go with any decor, check out this website or call 1-800-780-0699.